September 2025 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN September 2025 42 Record-Breaking 100th Pony Penning Draws Crowds, Milestones, and Miracles her before the cross- ing, several cowboys fell in a heap, one suffering a triple leg fracture. Both the cowboy and filly were treated and recovered. By Thursday, attention turned to the auction — and the numbers were staggering. Total sales hit $1,009,000, funding fire equipment, paramedic salaries, herd care, and local charities. The highest take-home foal, a black pinto filly, sold for $50,000 to Virginia First Lady Su- zanne Youngkin. The buyback program, in which winning bidders return foals to Assateague as a donation, brought in $355,000. The record-setting bid — $100,000 for a bay pinto filly — came from Darcy Cole’s Buyback Friends of the Wild Chincoteague Herds. “One hundred years, 100 foals, $100,000!” an- nounced her husband, Steve, as he sealed the bid. The week wasn’t without added pressure. A ter- ror threat prompted heightened security, bringing in hundreds of law enforcement officers and tripling the workload. Yet the crowds — estimated at 50,000 — took it in stride. “There was no major breakdown from our standpoint,” Hunter said. “It was amazing, and that’s not even talking about the auction.” For Tipson, the behind-the-scenes work was eye-opening. “Early mornings, long nights, working nonstop in the heat, and working the carnival at night — and they don’t get paid,” she said. Still, the spirit of the event shone through: friendships formed along the fences, the joy of rescues and reunions, the golden sunrise over Mon- day’s Beachwalk, and dreams fulfilled in the auction ring. As the 100th Pony Penning closed, it was clear that “magi- cal” was more than just a word. It was the lived reality of a community, its ponies, and the people who keep the tradition alive. (Continued from page 10) “100 years, 100 foals, $100,000!” — Steve Cole, upon placing the record-setting buyback bid Badabing’s $50,000 Buyback Filly Photo by Lois Szymanski Taco’s Runaway Colt Photo by Karen Scott Cowboys Bringing Ponies Photo by Lois Szymanski Like what you see? Subscribe today!